Itanagar, Mar 12: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Wednesday informed the Assembly that his government will take up the alleged violations of the boundary status quo in Changlang district with Assam after the neighboring state’s Assembly elections.

During Question Hour, responding to BJP MLA Laisam Simai, Khandu said he will instruct the deputy commissioner and superintendent of police of Changlang to coordinate with their counterparts in Assam’s Dibrugarh district to prevent law-and-order issues in the disputed areas. Simai had alleged that Assam officials made 17 unauthorized visits to Arunachal territory and reportedly assaulted locals, despite Arunachal maintaining the status quo.

Addressing a supplementary query from BJP MLA Wanglin Lowangdong on the unresolved Tirap border issue, Khandu noted that the Survey of India report has clarified the Tirap-Tinsukia boundary. He added that while discrepancies exist, Arunachal can explore alternative solutions through talks with Assam, but no official action can be taken unilaterally.

Earlier, Inter-State Border Affairs Minister Mama Natung stated that five Changlang villages were excluded from the 2022 Namsai Declaration due to Assam’s initial objections, which halted progress of the regional committee. These villages were not listed in the 2014 local commission report, and the Tarun Chatterjee Committee had recommended they fall under Assam—a position supported by Changlang’s then-deputy commissioner. With the matter currently sub judice in court, a resolution is pending.

The Namsai Declaration, signed by the chief ministers of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, had advanced the resolution of 123 disputed villages, later narrowed to 86. Arunachal maintains that several plain areas historically belonged to its hill tribes and were transferred to Assam without consultation prior to Arunachal attaining statehood in 1987. A tripartite panel suggested village swaps, but Assam objected, leaving the matter pending before the Supreme Court.